


1/30

by strykelass



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:51:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strykelass/pseuds/strykelass
Summary: The night after Raw. Cesaro tries his best to be a good friend, even if he is sort of a goof. Friends who are sweet, basically.





	

They packed into the car and for about two hours, nothing was said. The mile markers moved passed and Cesaro drove quickly. He knew his friend well enough not to try to make any conversation.

This sucked, this sucked more than _anything_. The rest of the week was going to be an uncertain haze where they'd be separated from each other to address what had happened and all they could do was wait. Cesaro didn't try to look at Seth for about a half hour, but let his eyes flick sideways every now and then once he saw his eyes shut.

Seth looked pale and unfocused, not asleep- Cesaro knew he'd be snoring lightly if he was. But his expression was murky and lost, mouth slack and eyebrows hanging heavy over his eyes. His right hand limply clutched the cold pack that he'd been offered, pinning it to his knee, despite having warmed beyond any usefulness hours ago.

Cesaro went through the drive thru and ordered Seth food, regardless of asking. He ate his own chicken sandwich quietly, setting the bag in the center column before looking around in the darkness for the street he was supposed to turn onto.

Distantly, he thought about the possibility of needing a new riding partner. It wasn't expressly necessary, but the office liked everyone to have _someone_. If a talent couldn't be reached, it was good to know who had paired up, regardless of friendships or compatibility. However, It seemed rude and far too early to ponder such a thing so close to his friend.

"I'll check in, just sit tight." Cesaro muttered, giving Seth's hand a light touch. Seth's eyes opened, but he continued staring ahead, nodding.

For a solid ten minutes, Cesaro pleaded with the attendants, insisting that the sixth floor room they'd booked wasn't in their best interest. He never liked getting angry with underpaid hotel staff, but his own mental faculties were wearing thin.

"First floor, it _has_ to be first." He said firmly. "I do not care- if you must call the manager, do it, but I need a first floor room as close to the entrance as possible."

He returned to the car, and opened the back, grabbing Seth's crutches and popping the trunk. Without thinking, he simply stacked his friend's roller back sideways over the handle of his own.

"Okay," Cesaro muttered, opening Seth's door. "All set."

He brought everything in in one trip, making to struggle a little more with the bags so Seth could limp through the handicapped ramp at his own rate, blowing off the doormen that eagerly made to usher them through, smiling and expressing welcome.

"To the right," Cesaro muttered, before Seth could ask. Really, he didn't want to make Seth talk if he didn't have to, they could go through this whole night on auto pilot if necessary. When Cesaro had injured his shoulder, he'd been so upset, his stomach had hurt for three days and he woke each morning holding his jaw funny, sore from clenching it through a night of fitful sleep. He'd been alone then. Cesaro thought if Seth wanted to be alone, he'd get another room, but Cesaro remembered well that he'd wished he'd had someone around when he was hurt.

Seth had already been out at that point and had texted him the moment the news broke.

Moving ahead to open the door, Seth limped inside and immediately turned to duck into the bathroom. Cesaro set their things by their beds and put the food on the table. Seth usually liked to sleep as far away from the window as possible, so Cesaro opened his bag and set it on the floor next to the proffered mattress.

He was just about to take the decorative pillows off the bed, when he heard the first choked sob break the air and Cesaro grimaced, biting his lip. From the bathroom, he could hear his friend crying helplessly, swearing softly and slumping down on the toilet seat.

Cesaro could only stand a few minutes of this. He knew Seth was too proud to call out for help and probably required a _little_ bit of initial privacy, but after slipping into some comfortable sleeping clothes, Cesaro took a deep breath and padded over. Once he'd peering in through the open door to make sure he was decent, he quickly stepped to his friend's side.

Seth still didn't move, curled in on himself and weeping wretchedly, hardly able to move without support. With the care of holding glass, Cesaro pulled in close, laying a hand around his head and tucking it into his side.

"Surprising you kept it in so long." He said quietly, rubbing in a way he hoped was assuring. "Nothing is fair, is it?"

Seth just wailed harder, pressing against his friend and shaking. His whole body was trembling and his knee had swollen up hard against the brace, looking pained and angry. Cesaro had to steady himself with a few breaths, determined not to cry as well. With a skillful foot, he pulled the little corner stool closer and sat, easing Seth half into his lap. He could feel tears falling onto his arm.

"I'm _so_ sorry my love." Cesaro said softly, kissing his head and rubbing. "I'm so sorry, so sooo sorry. So so so so sorry. This is so scary. So much…"

Seth was incapable of rebuttal and his crying didn't seem to be in any immediate hurry to abate. He sniffed and swallowed, but hard, jerking shakes pulled him down again and he whimpered to let out long, thick wails. Cesaro just held him, pressing his lips and his finger tips anywhere he could, letting Seth crash over him like an ocean wave. His bun was falling apart, his hair frizzing up fast, so Cesaro pulled the loose hairs back, just barely rocking him in his arms.

"Here, blow." He offered after maybe fifteen minutes, pressing a wad of toilet paper to the general area of Seth's nose, feeling tears and snot all over his hands. Seth's fingers came together, wiping his face and his beard, still shaking all over.

"I-fuckin-" Seth choked, clenching his whole body. "I couldn'tve done-"

Cesaro pressed his lips to his head again, listening, but Seth just dissolved into tears again. For the better part of an hour, he held him, rubbing his back or his forearm. Cesaro could feel his backside starting to tingle and fall asleep, but it didn't matter much.

"Ice?" Cesaro asked rubbing behind Seth's ear as he felt a break in his sobs. "Then I can help prop you up?"

Seth still didn't say anything, but raised his head, heaving a huge breath. Cesaro watched him carefully, continuing to rub his side. Seth's face was all red and wet, his cheeks were puffy and his eyelashes were dark and pulled together. There wasn't any sort of resolution or comfort in the way he exhaled, but for a moment, he seemed to still.

Cesaro breathed deep and full, and Seth clung to it, filling his own chest and letting it go. They did this several times, and a few times, Seth cracked a sob, but he seemed more determined. Blinking hard and pouting his face, he tried to steady himself, returning back to reality with each shaky breath.

"Ice." Cesaro repeated, laying a kiss in Seth's hair again. He squeezed his friend's thigh and eased him back onto the toilet. The ice bucket was just on the other side of the door, so he grabbed it, propping the door stopper and hurdling down the hallway to get ice as fast as possible.

His shirt was damp all over from tears, but he wouldn't've known it it he hadn't seen his reflection in the vanity mirror when he returned. Helping Seth to his feet again, Cesaro simply laid a hand on Seth's bottom and hoisted him with precision. The angle meant his knee wouldn't bend unnecessarily, but Seth still hastened to grab Cesaro's shoulder's quickly, terrified of doing any additional damage to his leg.

"Kleiner, I got you." Cesaro muttered, very carefully setting Seth down on the bed, grabbing a towel to raise the limb properly.

Seth settled, shifting slightly to pull the pillows where they ought to be, hands resting on his chest as he stared to the ceiling bleakly. Cesaro quickly tied off the bag of ice and rested it expertly over the joint, remembering plainly where Seth's incision scars from his surgery had been.

Tears silently poured from his eyes and Cesaro sighed, sitting at the edge of the bed, mentally checking off every thing he could think of. It'd be two AM in a few minutes and sleep would be hard to come by, but if everything was comfortable and simple, it was the most he could ask for.

" _Wie ist die Welt so stille, Und in der Dämmrung Hülle…"_ He tried, singing softly and rubbing the top of Seth's left foot tenderly. "... _So traulich und so hold! Als eine stille Kammer…"_

"You're-" Seth whined, running his hands over his face and shaking, "You're _killin'_ me man…"

" _Wo ihr des Tages Jammer, Verschlafen und vergessen sollt!"_ He finished, carefully easing himself up to where his friend was lying and grinning as Seth buried his face in his hands, sniffing, but smiling as well. "I can get you… anti inflammatory… if you want."

"Later," Seth sighed, withdrawing his hands and blinking. "I can't… I can't right now."

Cesaro wanted to ask Seth how bad it felt or try to figure out if he thought it was as bad as last time. His mind burned, trying to imagine how his friend felt and what was going on in his mind, but he knew he shouldn't. Instead, Cesaro swallowed, resting his hand on the bed between them, trying to think of something better than German children's songs to mumble.

"Sometimes I think about what Mox said to me one time-" He tried, sighing and looking across the room to the curtained window. "About how even a bad day today is still not a bad day at all compared to when we were in the indies. But then, today is a _very_ bad day."

"Fuckin'," Seth sighed, gesturing uselessly. "I can't-"

"I think-" Cesaro said quickly, not trying to make Seth think grandly about the incident. "I think- I'm remembering the first time we got to meet on the indies. God, that... " He smirked, remembering. "So long ago. You remember that show?"

"No," Seth sighed, eyes half lidded.

"I mean, me neither-" Cesaro snorted. "No, I don't remember where, but you were a little tiny kid, I remember. Little _tiny_ Tyler. And then I was ridiculous, so bad-"

"Your hair wasn't _that_ bad then." Seth said softly, rubbing his eyes.

"It was getting there though," He insisted, giggling to himself. "I had the dress shirt with no sleeves."

"Swiss money holding." Seth muttered, "I don't even think I had _gear_ at that point."

"I just remember-" Cesaro laughed hard, "We were _so_ bad, oh man, but the poor guys we were up against. I am so big, and they go in for these very large arm drags in this tiny ring." Seth chuckled. "You see me, flying around everywhere being gigantic."

"We were heels." Seth said simply. "Right? I _might_ remember that."

"The baddest heels around." Cesaro snorted, sighing softly. "With bad facial hair and… wearing ties...'"

They laid together for awhile longer, both of their eyelids drooping slightly from lack of activity. Cesaro stared at Seth's knee, watching as the ice had begun to melt. Little pools of water flowed into the corners of the bag, which was sweating slightly, making the leg brace damp.

Seth continued to sigh off and on, looking morose and exhausted, his vision unfocused. Cesaro offered him a hand and slowly, Seth took it, allowing his friend to rub against his knuckle, some tiny little assurance.

Neither man really believed in god, but Cesaro believed in energy. He thought carefully, rolling his lips as he locked eyes on the swollen joint.

_Please please please_ , he stated inside his head, clenching Seth's hand and focusing with all his might. _Please let everything be okay_ .   


**Author's Note:**

> Latest news is saying it's an MCL tear, but he could be back in 8 weeks, so MAYBE Mania, maybe not. JFC. 
> 
> I had a terrible day, I hope this helps someone else.


End file.
